Caspase-9 Inhibitor Drug Screening Kit (Fluorometric)

Caspases have been shown to play a crucial role in apoptosis induced by various deleterious and physiologic stimuli. Inhibition of caspases can delay apoptosis, implicating a potential role in drug screening efforts. The Caspase-9 Inhibitor Drug Screening Kit provides an effective means for screening caspase inhibitors using fluorometric methods. The assay utilizes synthetic peptide substrate LEHD-AFC (AFC, 7-amino-4-trifluoromethyl coumarin). Active caspase-9 cleaves the synthetic substrate to release free AFC which can then be quantified by fluorometry. Compounds to be screened can directly be added to the reaction and the level of inhibition of caspase-9 activity can be determined by comparison of the fluorescence intensity in samples with and without the testing inhibitors. The assay is simple, straightforward, and can be performed directly in microtiter plates. Each kit contains 100 units of active caspase-9, sufficient for screening 100 caspase inhibitor samples. Assay conditions have been optimized to obtain the maximal activity.